Million Hearts Plant Care: Dischidia Ruscifolia

In its native Asia, this ornamental grass plant grows on trees and cliff faces. There are other names for this stunning plant, including the “million hearts plant.”

The epiphytic plant known as Dischidia ruscifolia is currently enjoying a meteoric rise in popularity, primarily due to how simple it is to cultivate.

Features of a Million Hearts Plant

These plants grow on other surfaces, such as trees, rocks, or artificial structures, rather than soil. Generates slender, heart-shaped leaves on tall stems. The tiny white flowers bloom near the leaf bases year-round.

Another advantage of the Million Hearts Plant is that it blooms easily and frequently. The flowers are incredibly delicate and white.

Million Hearts Plant Care

Million Hearts is a houseplant that requires next to no attention or maintenance. It is simple to take care of and can live in either an indoor or an outdoor environment.

It looks fantastic when it spills over the container sides. Very attractive when displayed on a side table or in a suspended basket. It may be exhibited outside when the weather is warmer.

When caring for the Million Hearts Plant, it is essential to keep the following recommendations in mind since they are very significant.

Just keep it out of the direct sun to avoid yellow leaves.

Watering a Million Hearts Plant

As a rule, epiphytes let the bark mixture dry completely in between waterings. Million hearts plant needs less water than it thinks it does.

The watering of Dischidia ruscifolia is easy regardless of whether you grow it in a pot, in a container, in orchid bark, or moss with a drainage hole.

Only when it’s almost completely dry should you water it. If there is still moisture, wait a day and give the plant a good soaking in a pot with a drainage hole; otherwise, you will end up with dead yellow leaves.

Watering Million Hearts Properly

Thoroughly soak the soil until water drains out of the container’s bottom. This means the soil is saturated. Toss off the water that has collected in the saucer beneath the pot.

Remember that sphagnum moss and orchid bark mix only needs a 20-minute soak for the pot or moss ball.

If the air in your home tends to dry out quickly, shower your epiphytes more frequently than once every seven days. Wet the plants by misting them so the moisture can seep through the leaves. Once a week, you can give the plant a deeper watering by submerging it for two or three minutes.

Potting Mix for Million Hearts Plant

It is a plant that exhibits behavior “outside the box.”

Since it is epiphytic, you can cultivate it slightly different than the rest of your plants; you do not need to pot it with some loose soil and can leave it where it is.

Hence, like all epiphytes, these plants must not be grown in regular potting soil like other plants. Dischidia and other types of epiphytes are characterized by their connected growth pattern. They anchor themselves to their hosts using the roots of their bodies. Very similar to several different orchids

You could take the bark from an orchid and allow it to benefit from the acidity, or you could even wrap all of the roots in moss and bark mix.

Potting Soil for Million Hearts Plant

This is the most intricate part of the whole game, and it’s also the solitary thing you must do right.

You should plant the Dischidia ruscifolia in lecca orchid bark if you want the plant to be contained within a container. If you do not want the plant to become root-bound, lecca is the better option.

You should use this particular soil mix or a potting mix to investigate the best soil for the million hearts plant. Since orchid bark has pH of at least 6.0, it will maintain a high level of acidity in the mixture.

Choosing the Right Potting Soil for Million Hearts Plant

If you choose soil, you are free to do so even though the million hearts dislike heavy soil mixtures. Make sure it is not very tight and the plant has wet soil. The task can be accomplished with coconut coir.

Wrap some sphagnum moss on the plant’s roots and secure it with string. Rocks and pebbles should be used to create a gorgeous natural installation surrounding the plant. Observing it is a fantastic experience! It just flourishes when it has wet soil and conditions are right.

Million Hearts Fertilizer

Granular fertilizers, slow-release fertilizers, liquid feeds, organic fertilizers, and synthetic fertilizers are just some of the options out there.

Plants that aren’t confined by a container thrive when fertilized with a liquid fertilizer. These epiphytes take in the plant’s nutrients through the leaf surfaces.

Using too much fertilizer can harm plants, so always read the label before applying the recommended amount.

Lighting for Million Hearts Plant

This plant prefers to conceal itself from predators by taking refuge in the shade of larger trees in the wild. It typically hangs out on tree barks, though it has been seen climbing and clinging to other plants.

When grown outdoors, take advantage of the “out-of-the-box” quality of Dischidia ruscifolia by planting it near a large tree to fulfill its light needs. Allow it to relish the ascent and the resulting diffuse illumination. It should not be placed in direct sunlight. It will like being placed in front of a window if you wish to keep it as an indoor pet.

Place it under bright indirect light.

Adequate Light Requirements for Million Hearts Plant

As long as the plant receives about 1000 lux of light each day, with variations depending on the size of the windows, it should be fine. You can safely relocate the dischidia ruscifolia to a spot next to the window in the warmer months but avoid direct sunlight.

If you need a bright location for your Million Hearts plant, you can always use a grow light instead. Make sure it puts out the proper amount of light, though.

Humidity Levels for a Million Hearts Plant

Being native to Asia’s damp jungles, a million hearts plant requires a great deal of moisture to thrive. Suppose you were to go on a walk in a tropical rainforest. Though you only showered a short while ago, you quickly become uncomfortable due to your rising body temperature and the stickiness of your skin.

Create the Right Atmosphere for Your Plant Indoors

This is the ideal relative humidity for it. After reading this, you might think, “There’s no way I can get this inside my apartment!”

Yes, you can! Putting your million-heart plant near other plants will create the right humidity. Humidity will be shared amongst them without any problems.

You can use the same technique when you put pebbles or lecca in water to solve this problem. Reaching the optimal humidity level of 40% will be simple using this method.

A humidifier is a good investment if you want to meet the optimal humidity needs for growing Dischidia ruscifolia.

Temperature for a Million Hearts

Million hearts plant thrives between 40 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (4 and 27 degrees Celsius). This plant’s popularity can be attributed mainly to its resilience and tolerance to various temperatures.

When you are close to the temperature range required by Dischidia ruscifolia, you will have no problems. Your green pal can handle high temperatures. If the temperature drops too low, though, dischidia ruscifolia will survive.

Repotting a Million Hearts

Repotting million hearts plants is another challenging step in the process. Before repotting the dischidia ruscifolia, check to see that roots are growing in the soil. This is especially important if you are using soil.

Double Check Before Repotting

Before proceeding with any repotting process, you will need to have the appropriate size pot available if a million hearts plant needs to be repotted.

You will notice that the roots are growing out of the medium, and it will appear as though they are attempting to break free. This is how you will recognize when it is time to repot the plant.

Avoid damaging the roots since you may need to detangle them before continuing.

Pruning a Million Hearts Plant

The easiest part of taking care of million hearts is performing the necessary pruning.

You can save the trailing stems for another upcoming upkeep suggestion. Million hearts plant can have its stems pruned in the spring.

Wear protective gloves when trimming it, as the sap released during the process can cause severe skin irritation and even blistering if it comes in contact with the skin.

Propagate Million Hearts Plant

Do you recall the stem cuttings? These can be used to start new Million Hearts plants. Many years of new Dischidia ruscifolia plants can be grown from the stem cuttings you make now.

What is the Method?

You only need scissors to get rid of the extraneous branches. Cutting a dischidia ruscifolia at a 45-degree angle allows more water to enter the dischidia ruscifolia through the stem.

Protect from Pests!

A mixture of cinnamon and honey can be applied to the edges to provide an additional layer of protection. This not only helps clean the area, but it also acts as a biofertilizer for the Dischidia ruscifolia plant, protecting the cut from pests until the leaves grow back.

Foliage of a Million Hearts Plant

The Dischidia ruscifolia plant has dense foliage that has a dark green color. This is why many people consider the plant to be succulent. The stems are not very thick, which contributes to the cascading effect that the plant has.

Leave Shapes

The dischidia ruscifolia also comes in a variegated variant, in which the leaves retain their standard shape, but their stems are colored differently. The sole distinction is that the leaves have a marbled appearance comprising white and green. Some leaves are an entirely white tint to be seen there.

Flowers Growing Season

The variegated form has the same flowers as the standard one. They are completely indistinguishable from one another in terms of looks. They wither more rapidly and blossom again in a relatively short time.

Common Problems Million Hearts Plant Faces

Diseases Your Million Hearts Plant Might Face

It is possible, and the experience is not a pleasant one. On the other hand, it is not difficult to retrieve. In either scenario, the plant will have a lifeless appearance, almost completely changing color to a light yellow or brown.

Prevention or Treatment for the Plant

You are going to need to get a pair of scissors to snip them off. You should not attempt to remedy the problem with homemade recipes; instead, you should obtain a decent fungicide from the garden center in your area to ensure that your million hearts plant is protected from any potential danger.

Pests on Million Hearts Plant

The million hearts plant does not draw in any unwanted insects or animals. This only occurs if watering was followed improperly, causing the plant to get excessive moisture.

It is also possible for this to occur if the soil is excessively dense, as this prevents water from being able to drain away. Save from pests that attack Dischidia ruscifolia.

Save Your Million Hearts Plant

You only need to spray a mixture of soap, rubbing alcohol, and water together. They will be left with no other option except to go.

If getting rid of them seems impossible, consider investing in a proper fungicide.

Bottom Line

The versatility of dischidia ruscifolia makes it a great accent both inside and outside the home. Take advantage of the plant’s climbing tendencies by providing it with a moss pole or branch to use as a perch.

If you have a sunny and bright environment, you can grow Dischidia ruscifolia successfully in a tiny plant installation on your coffee table.